It is often necessary to analyze the physical characteristics of a structure by removal of a portion of the structure for testing. In particular, systems that include hostile environments, such as may be provided in power plants, are often exposed to mechanical and thermal stress that can result in deterioration of components including, for example, power plant turbine components and piping.
There is a need for a means for determining the condition of the material in components to facilitate an evaluation of whether a maintenance operation is required, and to predict a useful life for the components. Further, there is a need to provide a means for obtaining material samples from components while reducing adverse effects that may result from the material removal.